[EitoRanger]

So when episode 12 aired I didn't post my 'theory' on Helheim being an ancient forest in another dimension connected and guarded by the Sacred Tree/Shrine and that the cracks that keep appearing and the danger of Helheim invading the world was all because of Yggdrasil tearing down the shrine and forcing the natural connection to Helheim to remain open. I thought the scene with Kaito and Mai was obvious world building. I've only seen the tree really only mentioned once though so I want to try and lay out my full theory because I have lots of other speculations but they all rely on this theory. Then afterwards I'll mention the evidence I think supports it(which has somehow become a whole essay XP)

My full theory is Helheim is an ancient forest in another dimension and that Zawame city is built exactly where earth is closest connected to the Forrest with the Sacred Tree being a central gateway/access point to Helheim. Once in the past their was a threat of Helheim expanding and invading into Earth wiping out all other plant life and animal life and the Takatsukasa Shrine and Summer Festival, especially the dance for the sacred tree by the priestess, was created to protect the earth and seal Helheim away.

The truth was forgotten over time though until Yggdrasil somehow got information on Helheim which made them decide to go to Zawame, a regular small town and rebuild it. They uproot the Sacred tree and put it in their new headquarters in the middle of town to use it to enter Helheim and destroy the shrine and grove around it to wipe away any memory of it and keep the public from realizing their true purpose in Zawame.

It isn’t until five months before Gaim starts that Yggdrasil actually breaks through to Helheim but it is their continuous chipping away, destruction of the one protection earth had, their taking samples from Helheim reintroducing the invasive species to earth, and unnaturally forcing the connection between Helheim and earth to remain open that not only kick starts the story of Kamen Rider Gaim, but will be the cause of the final threat that Kota will have to face to save the world and humankind.


My Supporting Evidence
1. Helheim is an Ancient Forrest.

1. If my theory is correct Helheim forest is at least as old as the Sacred Tree, which Kaito described as ancient(Episode 12) and comparing the tree to some different real life trees it could easily be 2000 years old( https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/109117 )

2.The Sacred Tree is a natural gateway/connection to Helheim

1. The one permanent crack(forced open by Yggdrasil) that we know is able to exist is literally opening up inside of the ancient tree(episodes 10,11,12, 14, 15)
2. The fact that Yggdrasil uprooted the Sacred Tree and they tore the Shrine down taking away Mai’s parents job right after they come to Zawame when Kaito and Mai are still kids shows that the Tree is important to Yggdrasil’s plans. As described by both Kaito and Mai, "When I was a kid, a shrine grove was here. There was a sacred tree as well as a shrine for protecting it However no one remembers that anymore. The Shrine was torn down and the grove was cleared away"(Kaito to Mai Episode 12) “The same thing happened to my parents(about loosing their ‘business’). Yggdrasil changed this city…so they couldn’t live the way they did before.”(Mai to Kaito episode 8)
3. This importance is highlighted by the fact that the tree is held in the base and center of Yggdrasil’s base of operations in the city of Zawame(episode 10, 11, 14, 15)
4. Yggdrasil’s name, logo, and main building are all based on a tree, the assumption is it’s based purely on Norse mythology but it could also be based on the actual Sacred tree in the Gaim world. After all Yggddrasil isn’t only the world tree, but is known for connecting the nine worlds. A possible indicator that the Yggdrasil corporation is using the Sacred Tree as a connection to Helheim because it was the original world tree.

3. The Shrine/Summer Festival was created to protect Earth from Helheim Forest invading and taking over Earth.

1. By now the show has made it clear how easy and quickly Helheim’s plantlife and wildlife can invade and replace Earth’s own. We have seen evidence since the first episode that spores from the forest spread the moment a crack opens up including the Fruit of the forest(Episodes 1, 8, 9, 12). Humans are drawn to eat the fruit(episodes 1, 9, 14) and creatures that eat the fruit become Inves( episode 14). Then humans who have been attacked and harmed by Inves that come from the forest have fruit growing from there bodies accelerating the growth rate of the invasive species(episode 13).
2. Despite this there is no known history of Inves, cracks, or planets from Helheim until years after the obliteration of the shrine and years after the last Festival and priestess dance meaning that they could of played a part in keeping such events from happening.

4. The cracks and the threat of Helheim invading the earth is all because of the Yggdrasil company.

1. As mentioned above the only known evidence of Helheim’s invasive nature is seen after Yggdrasil purposely destroys an ancient shrine and forest grove(something they are known to do to keep any evidence of Helheim from reaching the public). That and the fact that the first recorded human entering a crack and becoming an Inves by Ryoma is less that five months after his first study record explaining the effects of the fruit on earth creatures indicating that they had only actually broke through to Helheim barely more than five months before the series had officially begun(Episode 14), and we have seen how rapidly things have declined since then and how rapidly the problem is getting out of hand.